Structural members are typically joined together in a permanently fixed way by the use of welding, bonding, or mechanical fasteners, all which require specific tools for assembly and dis-assembly. In the construction of an ordinary bicycle frame, structural members are welded or permanently bonded together at specific angles to form a fixed triangular frame. FIG. 8 shows a conventional bicycle. The major members of a bicycle frame are the top tube 1, down tube 2, seat tube 3, rear stays 25, chain stays 26, bottom bracket 28, and head tube 4. The fixed joint bicycle frame is assembled together with wheels, handlebar, pedals, gears, and other components to create a ride-able bicycle. The head tube assembly is made up of the fork 9, which passes through head tube 4, is attached to stem 11 and is clamped to handlebars 10. The head tube assembly can be complicated to assemble or disassemble and requires adequate knowledge of the bicycle, skill, and specific tools.
With the advent of air travel, more and more cyclists are traveling with their bicycles on airplanes to various destinations. Disassembling a bicycle for air travel or shipment can be costly, complicated, require the knowledge, skills, and tools of bicycle assembly, and demand a lot of time. The large size of a fixed joint bicycle frame design can make it difficult to disassemble and require expensive over-sized packaging for shipping, traveling by airplane, or temporary storage. A bicycle frame making use of a unique structural joint design that allows for fast, compact, and easy dis-assembly, without the use of tools, is very much needed. It would be ideal for this joint design to enable the head tube assembly to remain intact in order to reduce dis-assembly/assembly time and complexity.
The object of the preferred embodiment is to provide a quick release joint design that can be applied to the structural members of a bicycle frame. This connection method will enable a regular bicycle to be knocked down or dismantled into several smaller assemblies in only several minutes, requiring no tools or knowledge of bicycle assembly, thus allowing it to be packed into a case that is small enough for cheap and easy shipping, air travel, or storage.